For Zelos, the next few days are an exercise in self-bargaining.
He's not exactly ready to face the reality of what he's done just yet, but every day it's a little easier to think about the road ahead instead of the road behind. So alright, he's out here in the middle of nowhere after running away from home and responsibility with an ex-knight with a reputation that made his life misery, chasing a fleeting dream of his that he literally only told Zelos about seconds before their departure. This is still insane, and Zelos can't really tell how he's feeling about it, but the further they get from the Wilder manor, the easier it gets to swallow that pill down.
Making conversation with Lloyd is... awkward, after that rocky start. But underneath it, Zelos thinks he's justified in his discomfort: he and Lloyd could hardly even keep a conversation in letters lately, and Lloyd is completely different from the teenager Zelos leaned on when he needed it, and as a result of the chasm between them they've resorted to keeping secrets from one another. Understandable, if frustrating. It makes trying to read Lloyd and adapt to his conversation harder than it should be, because Zelos vehemently refuses to cling to a past that's honestly no longer theirs to claim.
For the most part Zelos keeps to his thoughts, admiring the views and checking the map whenever he can, trying to put himself back together after their horrible start. And he's been resorting to the mask to cope, too, treating Lloyd with the same casual brevity he would any guest at a ball, or whatever.
And Zelos can't say he's happy about that one. The guy broke him out of a life of boredom, for god's sake. The least Zelos could do would be nicer than treating him like any other pest. But how...?
Oh.
When Lloyd asks his question, Zelos is in the middle of beating himself up for being out here again, mind occupied by dark, swirling thoughts of how he's only dragging Lloyd down in his quest for freedom and peace. It startles him, then, and he takes a second to taste the question before answering. Well, what does he want to do in Iselia? What's the one thing he wants from the town? How's he going to spend his freedom?
Cold anxiety grips him tight when Zelos abruptly realizes that he doesn't know.
Because, what the hell is he supposed to do in Iselia? He's been too busy thinking of what he left behind, of what they need to do next, and as such he hasn't given their destination much thought. Zelos, caught red handed, nearly trips on his feet and stops walking. Instead he looks down to the ground as he continues on ahead, frowning and lost in thought.
"I..." it escapes his mouth. The frown deepens. He winds up releasing a sigh after holding the air in for a few seconds, shoulders slumping before he looks back up with a blank mask on, shrugging, dutifully following behind Lloyd. "I don't know. I guess I'll figure it out when I get there."
no subject
He's not exactly ready to face the reality of what he's done just yet, but every day it's a little easier to think about the road ahead instead of the road behind. So alright, he's out here in the middle of nowhere after running away from home and responsibility with an ex-knight with a reputation that made his life misery, chasing a fleeting dream of his that he literally only told Zelos about seconds before their departure. This is still insane, and Zelos can't really tell how he's feeling about it, but the further they get from the Wilder manor, the easier it gets to swallow that pill down.
Making conversation with Lloyd is... awkward, after that rocky start. But underneath it, Zelos thinks he's justified in his discomfort: he and Lloyd could hardly even keep a conversation in letters lately, and Lloyd is completely different from the teenager Zelos leaned on when he needed it, and as a result of the chasm between them they've resorted to keeping secrets from one another. Understandable, if frustrating. It makes trying to read Lloyd and adapt to his conversation harder than it should be, because Zelos vehemently refuses to cling to a past that's honestly no longer theirs to claim.
For the most part Zelos keeps to his thoughts, admiring the views and checking the map whenever he can, trying to put himself back together after their horrible start. And he's been resorting to the mask to cope, too, treating Lloyd with the same casual brevity he would any guest at a ball, or whatever.
And Zelos can't say he's happy about that one. The guy broke him out of a life of boredom, for god's sake. The least Zelos could do would be nicer than treating him like any other pest. But how...?
Oh.
When Lloyd asks his question, Zelos is in the middle of beating himself up for being out here again, mind occupied by dark, swirling thoughts of how he's only dragging Lloyd down in his quest for freedom and peace. It startles him, then, and he takes a second to taste the question before answering. Well, what does he want to do in Iselia? What's the one thing he wants from the town? How's he going to spend his freedom?
Cold anxiety grips him tight when Zelos abruptly realizes that he doesn't know.
Because, what the hell is he supposed to do in Iselia? He's been too busy thinking of what he left behind, of what they need to do next, and as such he hasn't given their destination much thought. Zelos, caught red handed, nearly trips on his feet and stops walking. Instead he looks down to the ground as he continues on ahead, frowning and lost in thought.
"I..." it escapes his mouth. The frown deepens. He winds up releasing a sigh after holding the air in for a few seconds, shoulders slumping before he looks back up with a blank mask on, shrugging, dutifully following behind Lloyd. "I don't know. I guess I'll figure it out when I get there."